Imagine the World in 2050
For decades, Hollywood has looked to science for inspiration, now IBM researchers are looking to Hollywood for new ideas too. The entertainment industry has portrayed possible future worlds through science fiction movies and IBM wants to tap into that creativity.
At an event held at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, five of IBM’s top scientists met with students and alumni of the school, along with other invitees from the entertainment industry, to “Imagine the World in 2050.” The event was the first phase of an expected collaboration between IBM and USC to explore how combining creative vision and insight with science and technology trends might fuel novel solutions to the most pressing problems and opportunities of our time. The event was also aimed at giving filmmakers access to IBM scientists for new ideas about the trajectories of science and technology as they create new films.
At the event, IBM researchers discussed the potential for self-healing spinal cords; embedded digital assistants that remember all you hear or say; the concept of “longevity management” for life-spans stretching past the century mark; drinkable, purified water everywhere; changes to the human genome; and many other insights into what the world might be like in the Year 2050 and beyond. While many of these ideas sound like science fiction, IBM scientists say that projects incubating today in IBM labs, and elsewhere, might just make them a reality.
For the future, IBM Research and the USC School of Cinematic Arts intend to collaborate on a unique research project with the goal of exploring a future in 2050 based on scientific projections for areas including nanotechnology, digital imaging, predictive software, and emerging medical, environmental and collective intelligence technologies.
Cruise Control
Although the actor Tom Cruise has been a part of Hollywood for more than two decades, lately he’s become known more for jumping on sofas and Scientology than for his movies. This has hit his star power. It seems that the public is more interested in show business than hearing Cruise’s sometimes bizarre opinions.
In recent months an effort has been under way to bring the focus back to Cruise the actor. Not surprisingly that has included the launch of the official TomCruise.com website. The site has news & updates, a biography, a comprehensive filmography complete with movie trailers from 27 Tom Cruise films, and an image gallery of exclusive pictures. The word “Scientology” doesn’t appear on the website.
There are already many unofficial Tom Cruise websites out there as well as numerous movie studio sites mentioning Cruise movies, plus news and gossip sites highlighting Cruise foibles. So how would Cruise or his movie studio try to encourage anyone looking for information on the actor to go to the official site? The URL is actually a “sponsored link” on several search engines — this is a fee-based service that allows commercial sites to receive enhanced placement, usually at the top of the search list. In Cruise’s case, that means above all the bad publicity online.
Ultra Low-Cost Notebooks
Ultra low-cost notebook PCs have received considerable attention as a potential solution to the digital divide in developing countries. However, in a new IDC report (Doc #212030), IDC analysts state that these devices will primarily find success as mobile, secondary computing devices in established regions and in education PC markets.
“Consumers have embraced the idea of the PC, particularly the portable PC, as a personal device rather than a shared household device,” said Bob O’Donnell, VP, Clients and Displays at IDC. “This has led to the introduction of notebooks in an increasingly wide range of sizes and shapes, as well as more specialized PCs. Very low-cost, compact notebooks that can be carried around and provide quick and easy access to the Internet via Wi-Fi hot spots fill an important spot in this burgeoning market – the first disposable notebooks.”
IDC’s definition of an ultra low-cost notebook PC is: a sub-$500 (SR1875) clamshell form factor mobile PC with a screen measuring from 7-10 inches diagonally, running a full operating system capable of supporting third party applications, and possessing a keyboard and wireless broadband connectivity. An example is the Asus eeePC.
The small size and focus on mobility fundamentally redefines the usage model for these devices. IDC believes ultra low-cost notebooks make the most sense as secondary computing devices, used primarily for online activities and carried around more often than “regular” notebook PCs. While the devices offer most of the functionality that many typical users want, a true web browsing experience is one of the primary features distinguishing ultra low-cost notebooks from smartphones and other smart handheld devices. The one opportunity where IDC expects that these devices could function as primary computers is for school-age (K-8) children.
“Despite its potential, the ultra low-cost notebook will not receive a universal embrace from consumers,” added O’Donnell. “The price gap with fully featured notebooks will be small and many consumers will opt to pay just a little more for a fully featured, full size notebook PC. And PC vendors, wary of the very small margins on these very small devices, will promote ultra low-cost notebooks as additive products, not replacement products, and will still face challenges in making them a profitable business.”
IDC forecasts worldwide shipments of the ultra low-cost notebook PC will grow from less than 500,000 units in 2007 to more than 9 million in 2012. But with low average selling prices (ASPs), worldwide revenues will be less than $3 billion in 2012. As a percentage of the total consumer PC market, these devices will remain under 5 percent throughout the forecast period. However, ultra low-cost notebooks could eventually capture more than one-third of the education market by 2012.
